I bought a pair of A* SMX gloves at the dealer that I bought my bike at last year, and I am VERY disapointed with these gloves.  They are comfortable and flow air good, but I have absolutly no faith in these gloves protecting my hands if (when) I go down.  I have worn them for approx. 1500 miles, they have never been on the pavement, and they look like this...

So... I am open to recomendations for a good pair of short gloves that will actually do their job without breaking the bank ($150 or less).

http://www.newenough.com/gloves/street_short_cuff/held/air_stream_motorcycle_gloves.html

These will fit your budget.

But I recommend these
http://www.newenough.com/gloves/street_or_racing_gauntlet/held/steve_motorcycle_gloves.html

Quote from: mojo on July 16, 2009, 04:44:52 PM
I bought a pair of A* SMX gloves at the dealer that I bought my bike at last year, and I am VERY disapointed with these gloves.  They are comfortable and flow air good, but I have absolutly no faith in these gloves protecting my hands if (when) I go down.  I have worn them for approx. 1500 miles, they have never been on the pavement, and they look like this...

So... I am open to recomendations for a good pair of short gloves that will actually do their job without breaking the bank ($150 or less).

Crap!!!
Do you use those knurled metal grips? I use the same gloves for short rides, I'm looking at them right now and I don't see any type of wear close to what you are experiencing ( just the little silk screened finger grips come off and some frayed mesh).

I wear Spidi race-vent for most of my riding (under $150) and I only wear A* or Spidi because their size 3XL fits me well.

my A* SP-S gloves have held up great over... 3 years? now... if you're looking at short cuffs, anyway

http://www.newenough.com/gloves/street_short_cuff/alpinestars/sp_s_motorcycle_gloves.html

Here's a couple of good options in your price range.

http://www.dainese.com/us_en/motorbike/guanto-blaster.html?gender=2&cat=5

http://www.dainese.com/us_en/motorbike/guanto-m-19.html?gender=2&cat=5

I have both in stock if you are interested.

Quote from: mojo on July 16, 2009, 04:44:52 PM
I bought a pair of A* SMX gloves at the dealer that I bought my bike at last year, and I am VERY disapointed with these gloves.  They are comfortable and flow air good, but I have absolutly no faith in these gloves protecting my hands if (when) I go down.  I have worn them for approx. 1500 miles, they have never been on the pavement, and they look like this...[img]

<snip>

So... I am open to recomendations for a good pair of short gloves that will actually do their job without breaking the bank ($150 or less).

Forget buying a new pair.  I'd go to the dealer and/or A* to get those gloves replaced.  They fell apart after one year and 1500 miles?  That's not ok.

QuoteCrap!!!
Do you use those knurled metal grips? I use the same gloves for short rides, I'm looking at them right now and I don't see any type of wear close to what you are experiencing ( just the little silk screened finger grips come off and some frayed mesh).

I have rubber grips...nothing special.  I honestly think these gloves would hold up in a crash as well as a pair of Mechanix gloves.  When I started noticing the holes in the index fingers and thumbs, I paid attention to what may be wearing them out, but I'm clueless.  The only thing the upper part of my index fingers touch is the levers, and I have no idea why the thumbs are wearing the same way.

QuoteForget buying a new pair.  I'd go to the dealer and/or A* to get those gloves replaced.  They fell apart after one year and 1500 miles?  That's not OK.

I agree that this is a ridiculous amount of wear for the amount of time I've used them, but the dealer is 2 hours away, the receipt is long gone, and I have no real proof that I've worn them for 1500 miles or 15,000 miles, so I think I'm SOL

Thanks everyone for the recommendations on new gloves .  I don't want to wait too long to buy new gloves, so I'll probably be doing some research over the weekend and make a decision.

Quote from: mojo on July 17, 2009, 05:48:55 PM
I agree that this is a ridiculous amount of wear for the amount of time I've used them, but the dealer is 2 hours away, the receipt is long gone, and I have no real proof that I've worn them for 1500 miles or 15,000 miles, so I think I'm SOL

This is one of those cases where it can't hurt to try.  I'd first call my dealer and then call/write Alpinestars.  Just tell them you're really disappointed with the wear of the gloves and that you would like the gloves replaced.  If they say "prove that you only wore them for 1500", you're right that you're SOL, but if they're into customer service, it's no skin of their back to send you another pair or otherwise try to take care of you.  You don't have to be a dick about it or anything.  Either way, it's an option. 

Good luck.    

Thanks Spidey.  I'll probably start with an e-mail to A* and see where that gets me.

I'm not against getting anything from A* again in the future.  I also wear one of their original Stunt jackets in perforated leather, and it seems very well built and comfortable, and I feel that it will give me nice protection if I need it.

Quote from: mojo on July 17, 2009, 05:48:55 PM
I have rubber grips...nothing special.  I honestly think these gloves would hold up in a crash as well as a pair of Mechanix gloves.  When I started noticing the holes in the index fingers and thumbs, I paid attention to what may be wearing them out, but I'm clueless.  The only thing the upper part of my index fingers touch is the levers, and I have no idea why the thumbs are wearing the same way.

I agree that this is a ridiculous amount of wear for the amount of time I've used them, but the dealer is 2 hours away, the receipt is long gone, and I have no real proof that I've worn them for 1500 miles or 15,000 miles, so I think I'm SOL

Thanks everyone for the recommendations on new gloves .  I don't want to wait too long to buy new gloves, so I'll probably be doing some research over the weekend and make a decision.

I've had the same experience with that particular glove. Just normal wear from rolling on the throttle was too much for it.  I also got holes on the index and middle fingers first since those fingers come closest to the tips and I sometimes rub at bugs or things with those fingers. Also, my fingers are kind of crooked so that wears the fingers a little crooked and I often put holes in the breather strips on the sides of the fingers too if they don't have reinforcing around the sides of the fingers.

QuoteI've had the same experience with that particular glove. Just normal wear from rolling on the throttle was too much for it. 

How long did it take for your gloves to wear out like this?  Just curious if it was as quick as mine (1500 miles), or say, 5000 miles.  If simply rolling on the throttle is too much for this glove to handle, I'd hate to see what concrete would do to them. 
I sent A* and e-mail on Saturday night...probably won't hear anything back till at least Monday.  Even if they did send me a pair of the same gloves, I'm not sure if I would ever wear them, since you had the same problems. 
As of right now, I'm leaning towards buying the Held Air Stream gloves.  I don't think I've ever heard anything bad about Held products, and the Air Stream gloves look like they would be a big step up in protection from my SMX gloves.

Mine started showing a little fraying after about 3k. Started putting holes in the fingers around 4k. This was a few years ago though. It was my 2nd pair of gloves. I'm on like my 5th and 6th now.

Well, if they do send you a new pair and you don't want them, it's a perfect item for the Pay It Forward thread...
http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=158.0

Thanks NAKID .  Haven't seen that thread before.  I think I'll keep that in mind, even if it has nothing to do with my gloves.  It's really nice to see that there are still good people who want to help each other out.

Got an e-mail back from A* today. They want me to send them in to get inspected.  Gonna send them in tomorrow and see what happens from there.